Sixty-fifth General Assembly

Second Committee

1^stMeeting (PM)

SECOND COMMITTEE ADOPTS WORK PROGRAMME COVERING POVERTY ERADICATION, DEVELOPMENT,

CLIMATE CHANGE, AMONg OTHER KEY ISSUES TO BE CONSIDERED DURING NEW SESSION

 

Poverty eradication and other development issues, climate change and the international financial and trade systems were among key topics approved for consideration by the General Assembly’s Second Committee (Economic and Financial) this afternoon as it adopted its organization of work for the sixty-fifth session.

The Committee also adopted its programme of work (document A/C.2/65/L.1) as Chair Enkhtsetseg Ochir ( Mongolia) welcomedother members of its new Bureau:  Vice-Chairpersons Erik Lundberg ( Finland) and Csilla Wurtz ( Hungary), as well as Jean Claudy Pierre ( Haiti), who was elected by acclamation during the meeting.  She said the Rapporteur’s election would be postponed until a later date as informal consultations were continuing among members of the Group of African States.

Among issues slated for review were macroeconomic policy questions, including international trade and development, the international financial system and development, external debt sustainability and development; operational activities for development of the United Nations system; andfollow-up to, and implementation of, the outcome of the 2002 International Conference on Financing for Development and the 2008 Review Conference.

Another topic to be considered was groups of countries in special situations,whichcoversthe Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, and the outcome of the International Ministerial Conference of Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and Donor Countries and International Financial and Development Institutions on Transit Transport Cooperation.

Furthermore, the Committee would considerglobalization and interdependence, including the role of the United Nations in promoting development in that context; preventing and combating corrupt practices and transfer of assets of illicit origin and returning such assets, in particular to the countries of origin, consistent with the United Nations Convention against Corruption; and international migration and development.

The Committee would also take up poverty eradication, including implementation of the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017) and industrial development cooperation; operational activities for development in the United Nations system; and agriculture development and food security.  It was also expected to consider the permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources; and information and communications technology for development.

Under the sustainable development umbrella, the Committee was expected to consider implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development; follow-up to, and implementation of, the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States; the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, protection of global climate for present and future generations; implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa; the Convention on Biological Diversity; the report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme on its eleventh special session; the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development; and harmony with nature.

Other items on the Committee’s agenda were implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and strengthening of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat); revitalization of the work of the General Assembly; and programme planning.

The Second Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 4 October, to discuss its working methods and at 3 p.m. the same day to begin its general debate.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record